Ch. 211 Useless Money
The corner of He Sanlang's mouth twitched and he immediately turned his head. He really didn't want to talk to a glutton like Xiao Yuhong right now.
While Chu Lian was resting and recovering in the little town close to the border, Tang Yan and the rest of the party had managed to catch up.
Although they had been previously robbed by the barbarians, He Changdi had come over with the rescue party just in time, so all of Chu Lian's things were safe.
The moment Tang Yan arrived, he heard about how Chu Lian had been attacked by the elite Tuhun soldiers and was astounded. After reassuring Chu Lian a little, he decided not to separate from her again for the rest of the journey.
Even though not everyone in the party had recovered from their wounds, just in case, they only stayed in the small town for four days. After four days, they set off on their journey again. They still had the winter supplies meant for the northern border troops and had to deliver them as soon as possible.
The closer they got to Liangzhou City, the more desolate their surroundings became. When they finally reached the outskirts of the city, Chu Lian stared at the completely devastated Liangzhou in disbelief.
How could this be called a city? Any town within the lands of the Great Wu would probably be richer than this 'city' a few times over. The city walls were made of mud- when the wind blew, some clods of earth would even get blown off. There were broken walls all over the city and hardly any citizen in sight. One or two would scurry by occasionally, their bodies thin and sallow.
There weren't many brick houses within the city itself. Most of the houses were made of mud and covered with thatch roofs. Even though it was dusk and about time to cook dinner, the number of houses that had smoke drifting up from their kitchens could probably be counted on one hand.
There probably weren't as many citizens living here as there were soldiers in the army stationed outside.
Chu Lian had finally seen for herself why the nobles in the capital considered Liangzhou City a barren land.
This area was probably part of the great grasslands of the future. Although there were plenty of mountains and vast tracts of land, the terrible weather conditions and the long winters weren't suited for farming. If they headed just a little closer to the inner lands of the Great Wu, the farm fields at the boundaries of Liangzhou might be fertile enough to allow for a harvest say, once a year. However, once they went further north, the quality of the earth wasn't enough to support even the smallest bit of life.
When it came to winter, the surface of the ground would be covered in a thick layer of snow. When it came to spring, the snow would melt away into a muddy swamp...
Chu Lian looked up at the city wall made of yellow mud bricks. There were two soldiers standing up there, their bodies curled up into balls. She couldn't even tell what they were wearing, but she could see that they were shivering up there on the city walls.
Chu Lian sighed. Could this fragile wall really stand up to the attacks of the ferocious Tuhuns?
Tang Yan was riding on a horse beside her carriage. When he saw that Chu Lian had lifted the curtain of her carriage, he urged his horse over to her.
"Honoured Lady, are you looking at the yellow mud walls?"
Chu Lian cast a sideways glance at him and nodded.
The corner of Tang Yan's lips tugged upwards and he said rather helplessly, "Liangzhou City is located in the north of our Great Wu's territory. You've also seen it on the way here, Honoured Lady. This area is lacking in resources. The court sends a huge sum each year here to reinforce Liangzhou City's walls, but unfortunately, there hasn't been much effect."
Chu Lian was shocked. "A huge sum? Then how could that wall possibly be in this state? It looks like it will crumble in one hit!"
Chu Lian accidentally blurted out her true thoughts.
Tang Yan didn't mind and simply continued. "Before we talk about where the money the court sends ends up, there are other more important reasons behind this. Once you enter the city, you'll be able to see why without any hints from me."
Chu Lian hadn't expected him to have held back information at the last moment. Was Tang Yan trying to test her?
Chu Lian didn't really mind. She nodded and ordered Manager Qin to lead the carriages into the city. With the Empress Dowager's decree, it was easy enough to enter the city.
Trash littered the streets of Liangzhou. When a breeze blew by, a strange odour drifted up from the ground, giving them the urge to puke. It was clear that no one had come by to clean this place for quite some time.
Chu Lian slightly lifted the curtains of her carriage and peeked outside. When she caught sight of the situation outside, her brows furrowed together. Luckily, it was winter. If this had been the middle of a hot summer, this would have been the perfect breeding ground for diseases and the like.
Tang Yan had already sent someone ahead of them to arrange for a place to rest, so they were headed straight there.
When they reached their destination, Chu Lian looked up at the simple plaque hung above the courtyard entrance: He Estate. She was then informed that this was the residence of the prefect of Liangzhou City.
The residence looked to be about 3500 square metres in area. In any other city of the Great Wu, it would only be some rich country man's humble farm abode, but in Liangzhou City, it was considered one of the best residences around.
Although the houses in the estate were also made of mud, at least the outer layer was made of processed earth and the roofs were made of crude tiles instead of thatch.
When they came to this street, it was clear that the conditions here were slightly better than that of the other areas of this city.
Chu Lian was carried off the carriage by Wenlan. She couldn't put any weight on her leg, and she had another four to five days to go before it was fully healed. Right as she got off the carriage, Chu Lian spotted a half-grown child dressed in furs squatting in the midst of some rubble not too far away. There was a pile of small skins in front of him which looked like sheepskin.
He was currently curled up in the corner of the ruined wall, sneakily glancing their way with his wide eyes, as if trying to guess at the purchasing power of their party.
Chu Lian looked right back at him with her lips pressed together.
The half-grown child seemed to have abandoned his original misgivings and came running over with the pile of sheepskins hugged to his body. It was only when he was a little closer that Chu Lian could clearly discern his dirt-covered features.
Before the child could reach Chu Lian, he was captured by one of the strong private soldiers and pressed to the ground.
Mo Chenggui's expression was as dark as usual. "Third Young Madam, the northern border isn't as safe as the inner walls of the capital. If we meet some Tuhun scouts just like the last time, Third Young Master will blame this Old Mo again."
Wenlan could hear the thorns in Mo Chenggui's words, standing as she was next to Chu Lian. She was about to move in front of Chu Lian to angrily defend her, but Chu Lian tugged her back and sent her a look.
Wenlan suppressed the anger in her chest and retreated.
Chu Lian sent a faint smile towards Mo Chenggui. "Many thanks to Uncle Mo for the reminder. I'll be careful."
Mo Chenggui hadn't expected such a reply from Chu Lian, so he didn't have a retort ready.
The child wasn't struggling and didn't even seem panicked even though he was being pressed to the ground. He took the chance to shout, "Noble sirs, please have mercy! This humble one only wanted to see if noble sirs could buy these sheepskins! This humble one's mother and sister are about to starve to death and there's no food in our house. Our hope for survival lies solely in these sheepskins in this humble one's hands!"
Tang Yan ordered one of the guards to investigate. As expected, they weren't able to find anything on the child's body. He nodded towards Chu Lian.
After seeing how Chu Lian seemed determined to stick her nose in unnecessary business, Mo Chenggui snorted and turned to enter the He Estate first. Out of sight, out of mind.
Chu Lian pointed at one of the rolls of sheepskin. "Bring that over to me and let me have a look."
Manager Qin personally bent over to pick up the sheepskin. He examined it carefully before holding it up respectfully with both hands for Chu Lian.
Chu Lian casually flipped it over and looked at it for a moment. There was nothing special about it, really. The hide was taken from a normal sheep commonly reared by the northern herdsmen and barbarians. There were even some spots on it, and its colour was slightly dark. It looked like it had seen some regular use at home. If not for the fact that their household was in dire straits, they probably wouldn't have taken out their own sheepskins to sell.
Her gaze landed on the child next. His clothes were tattered and torn. Some form of beast fur was wrapped around him haphazardly. His arms were exposed from the elbow down and his two hands were red from the icy cold.
Judging by the child's pitiful appearance, Chu Lian didn't even have to think further to decide that his story was true. She spoke to Wenlan for a bit and Wenlan nodded. She took out a small piece of silver from her own purse and walked over to the child who was still being held down by their family's soldier. She said to him, "Child, our master will buy all of your sheepskins. This is a silver tael for the sheepskins. Next time, don't rush out so recklessly to hold back other nobles. Our master is kind and won't do anything to you, but not everyone is like our master, so take care of yourself!"
The silver ingot was worth at least 500 to 600 copper coins: three or four times that of the market price for the sheepskins in the child's hands. Wenlan placed the silver tael in front of the child and ordered the soldier to release him. She then turned around, preparing to help Chu Lian into the He Estate.
However, just as she turned around, the newly released half-grown child grabbed onto her leg and pleaded, "Big sister, this humble one doesn't want silver. Please, change it into food for this humble one!"
Wenlan suffered a shock and almost kicked the child away out of instinct.
She turned around helplessly and got a guard to help pull the child away. A trace of unhappiness could be seen in the wrinkles between her brows. "You little brat, how could you be so shameless! Do you think that our master offered you too little? This silver tael is enough to buy your sheepskins three or four times over!"
"No, no, this humble one doesn't think it's too little. This humble one begs big sister to give just a few wheat pancakes." After saying so, he turned to Wenlan and kowtowed as if his life depended on it.
Wenlan was completely stunned. She couldn't believe that someone would rather have a few copper coins worth of wheat pancakes rather than a silver tael worth a few hundred of those coins. Was this child silly in the head?
Chu Lian watched the situation before her with furrowed brows. Tang Yan directed a meaningful gaze at her with the shadow of a smile.
Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in Chu Lian's mind.
She turned to Wenlan and said, "Wenlan, get him some food."
Although Wenlan found it strange, she still followed the order.
The half-grown child took the three cold and hard steamed buns that Wenlan passed to him, his face full of unconcealed joy. He quickly stuffed them into his shirt before looking carefully around him. Only then did he kneel down and bow towards Chu Lian before taking off and disappearing around the corner of a small alleyway.
Chu Lian watched the child disappear before ordering the party to get settled into the estate.
Her leg was wounded, so she walked very slowly with the support of Wenqing and Wenlan. Tang Yan was able to catch up in just a few steps.
He smiled and asked, "Do you know the reason now, Honoured Lady?"
Chu Lian smiled bitterly. How could she not? After that little incident with the child, it was impossible not to understand the reason.
She sighed lightly and replied, "What Liangzhou City lacks isn't money. It's material goods."
Tang Yan nodded, "How smart, Honoured Lady."
In Liangzhou City, many of the areas here still used the most basic way of trading: barter. Here, the currency most commonly used wasn't gold nor silver, or even copper coins. Most of the time, the people here used cows, sheep, or other livestock, as well as cloth, food, and salt.
In the eyes of the commoners of Liangzhou City, a silver ingot that could buy them fifty kilograms of white rice in the capital wasn't worth as much as a single piece of hard wheat pancake.
No wonder the walls of Liangzhou City were still so dilapidated despite the funds the Ministry of Revenue sent for renovation year after year.
Even before considering the cuts taken from officials going down the chain of command, the amount of goods the funds could purchase was already pitiful the closer one got to Liangzhou. Not only was there a shortage, but even just looking at the cost of transporting materials to the north, the cost was just too high. Goods? What goods? After all was said and done, the amount of things the funds could buy was close to non-existent.
Here, money was practically useless.
Ch. 212 Eating Breakfast
Chu Lian shook her head. It was very hard to transport large amounts of goods into Liangzhou in the bitter cold of the winter. This also exacerbated Liangzhou City's dire situation.
If not for that, the court wouldn't have been that anxious upon finding out that the Tuhuns were invading the northern border this winter.
It wasn't easy to send supplies to the army at this time of year in the first place. Now the reinforcements were trapped in the Yueqin Mountains. No wonder the Tuhuns had chosen to attack Liangzhou at this time.
Although Chu Lian was worried, she didn't have any good ideas for now.
Since money was useless here at the northern border, the first order of business was most likely to solve the problem of transporting goods.
Tang Yan escorted Chu Lian to her designated courtyard before bringing his men over to their own residence.
The prefect of Liangzhou City had been removed from office in the first half of the year. Later on, the position of prefect had been passed down to Great General Qian. There were very few citizens in Liangzhou and most of them were the troops stationed here. Thus, General Qian had ordered the secretary of the infantry, Sir Wu, to take over the responsibilities of the prefect.
As of now, the troops were all stationed in the camp right outside the city. In these extraordinary circumstances, Sir Wu naturally had to return to the camp. Thus, the original estate of Liangzhou's prefect, the He Estate, had been empty for quite a few months.
General Qian knew perfectly clear what the current state of Liangzhou City's walls was, because the duty of repairing those broken walls would fall upon the northern border troops every year.
That wall wasn't even strong enough to block a single attack right now. Actually, the real border between the Great Wu and the Tuhuns was a single river called the Sula River. The Sula River was the lifeblood of the northern grass plains. Right now, General Qian was leading the northern border troops in guarding this natural barrier.
Passing the Sula River was the same as opening the doors to Liangzhou. The rest of the plains was just a wide expanse of flat land.
If they passed the river, the Tuhuns would most likely charge right into the Great Wu's territory. One of the first places in their path was the fishing haven, Tianjing Harbour.
It could be seen how important it was to guard the Sula River.
Chu Lian was helped to a seat by the hearth by Wenlan. The hearth had already been lit by the servants in the estate, so it was nice and warm on top of it. Manager Qin stood in front of her and reported all the news he had been able to dig up about the area.
Chu Lian thanked her lucky stars after listening to his report. She considered them lucky for having brought enough supplies here, including their basic household items. Thus, their party didn't need to worry about their daily necessities for a while.
She was here under the Empress Dowager's decree and the scroll was still with her. The supplies were still with her as well. Although there wasn't much, it was better than nothing. It looked like she had to find a chance to visit the camp of the border troops.
However, it was better to discuss it with Tang Yan within the next two days before deciding on any action.
The northern border was bitterly cold. Although the He Estate was already considered one of the best residences around in Liangzhou City, once she left the warm hearth bed, Chu Lian still felt frozen. Even the two siblings trained in martial arts, Li Xing and Li Yue, were wrapped up like huge balls, let alone Chu Lian.
Chu Lian rested her leg for another two days before she could finally put some weight on it and walk slowly. In the morning, Chu Lian sent someone to bring Tang Yan here.
The people of the Great Wu Dynasty put emphasis on etiquette and appearances. Although Tang Yan was from Shandong, where the people weren't as strict on upkeep, after staying in the capital for so long, he had long become accustomed to the styles of the capital.
This morning, upon waking up and finding that he had grown a layer of stubble, he had gotten his manservant to bring him a razor and conscientiously shaved it all away. The guards serving him had also taken this chance to shave their facial hair as well.
Once he stepped out of his house, he felt both refreshed and clean, so he was in a very good mood.
On this trip to the north, due to the urgency of the matter, Chu Lian had only brought her two martial arts-trained maidservants, Wenqing and Wenlan, with her. Even if they counted the female guard Li Yue in their number, there were just four women in the whole party, including Chu Lian. The remaining servants, regardless of whether they did the sweeping, washing, or cooking, were all men.
There were only two door guards in the He Estate, and they were older, wounded soldiers.
Right now, the entire estate was pretty much all male.
Chu Lian had gotten up from bed early in the morning. Tang Yan came early as well. When he saw Wenqing bringing breakfast in, he shamelessly asked Wenqing for his own portion. Chu Lian was a lady after all; Tang Yan wasn't thick-skinned enough to come and scrounge a meal from her every day. On the other hand, if he was invited, that was a perfectly good reason to come over. Thus, Tang Yan had specifically aimed to arrive during breakfast in order to get a mealt.
How could Chu Lian not see through this foodie's line of thought?
She didn't expose him and simply nodded towards Wenqing.
The moment she looked up and noticed the good mood that Tang Yan was in, she was a little surprised, but a moment later, a trace of admiration flashed through her eyes.
Tang Yan was just twenty six this year. He couldn't quite be compared to the top-notch looks of He Sanlang or Prince Jin, but without them around, his appearance could be considered above average.
His nose bridge was especially high and his eyelashes were thick and dark. He must have specially shaved away his stubble today, so he gave off a clean and gentle feel, making him a little more of a feast for the eyes.
Who didn't like beautiful things? Chu Lian looked at Tang Yan with pure, innocent admiration. Her eyes turned to Prince Jin's guards standing not too far behind Tang Yan as well.
The guards were dressed in flared black robes with grey squirrel fur cloaks. Each of them was tall, and their bodies were brimming with strength thanks to their years of martial arts training. With faces just as clean as Tang Yan's, the group of men made for a nice spectacle.
Wasn't there a saying that went something like, women put on makeup to show respect to others? These men before her had taken the time to clean up and dress well, and that was a similar form of respect. Chu Lian suddenly felt that the customs of the Great Wu Dynasty weren't too bad.
She praised them unreservedly, "Sir Tang is quite the spectacle today."
Who didn't like praise? Even Tang Yan wasn't exempt from this. On the way here, Tang Yan had already become familiar with Chu Lian. He understood that there was no other meaning to her words and that she was purely praising him for his looks.
He was already in a good mood. The full wash up he had done this morning was the first time he had taken a bath this whole trip. Washing off all the dirt and detritus of a long journey could make anyone feel refreshed. Getting this unexpected praise lifted up his mood by a bit more.
Tang Yan was about to speak up when a cold snort sounded from the entrance. Following that, a low, magnetic voice filled the room, cold enough to form icicles. "What a way with words you have, Lian'er."
Chu Lian stared at the entrance in astonishment. He Changdi stood stiff and tall behind the felt curtain covering the entrance. Behind him was the anxious yet helpless Wenlan.
More than half of his face was covered by his thick facial hair, so she couldn't tell what his expression was like. However, massive waves seemed to be rippling in those narrow eyes of his. Chu Lian felt as if she might be overcome by one of these waves in the blink of an eye.
Chu Lian frowned as she stared at him. His appearance at this time was completely out of her expectations.
There were a few snowflakes on He Sanlang's shoulders, and his tied up hair was a little messy. His tough armour was looking a little worn out and dirty as well. His thick army boots were covered in mud and snow. He Changdi's wretched appearance was a huge contrast when set against the clean and neat appearance of Tang Yan and his group.
Just now, if Wenlan hadn't noticed the huge beard that had become his trademark, she might not have realised that this was her very own master.
Chu Lian stood up and slowly walked in He Sanlang's direction. "Why have you come at this time?"
It was just a normal question, but it sounded like disdain for his presence to He Sanlang's ears. His expression turned even darker.
The corner of his lips tugged downwards. "What? Lian'er doesn't welcome Husband back?"
Chu Lian tilted her head to one side and looked carefully at He Changdi. She could detect that trace of unhappiness in He Sanlang's words. Had this guy gone around the bend again? If she remembered correctly, they hadn't even met these few days. She couldn't have possibly made him mad again, right?
Hadn't they been just fine when he left?
However, Chu Lian was already completely used to He Sanlang's bipolar attitude. This time, her emotions remained unchanged. When she heard his words, she only smiled and didn't reply.
Tang Yan stood up at this time and greeted He Changdi.
Even though there was practically no relation between He Sanlang and Tang Yan and they were acquaintances at most, when He Changdi looked at the bare-faced and neatly dressed Tang Yan, a strange feeling of dissatisfaction rose in his heart.
Tang Yan hadn't interacted much with He Changdi. They had only met once or twice at Prince Jin's estate.
Tang Yan generously explained the reason he had come to find Chu Lian today to He Sanlang.
He Changdi took in a quick breath to calm his emotions and nodded in acknowledgement. He moved to sit down at the table without reserve. At the moment he sat down, he gritted his teeth to bear with the pain in his buttocks.
Chu Lian didn't mind at all. Since the time when she had inadvertently overheard Mo Chenggui's words, she had been absent minded these past few days. Now that she was finally meeting him again, the attention that she had originally placed on Tang Yan and Prince Jin's guards was completely drawn to him. She wanted to ask He Sanlang whether he had been punished or not, but with Tang Yan still around, it wasn't the right time for her to ask. She could only sit at the table together with He Changdi.
At this time, Wenqing came in with breakfast. To her surprise, Third Young Master had come.
After she bobbed in greeting, she placed the food on the table. Today's breakfast was fried spring rolls and shredded chicken with a side of mushroom porridge.
When Tang Yan saw the food, his eyes lit up. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and said, "Honoured Lady, Third Young Master He, I won't stand on ceremony with you then. I'll start first!"
Once he was done speaking, he immediately started wolfing down food.
Chu Lian picked up her own spoon and lowered her head to have a sip of porridge. She was about to ask whether He Changdi had had breakfast yet, but in the next second, the spoon in her hands was stolen by him.
Chu Lian could only watch as that fellow used her own spoon, right before her very eyes, to dig a spoonful of porridge directly from her bowl and unceremoniously stuff it into his mouth.
Chu Lian was absolutely stunned. That... that He Sanlang! That was her breakfast! Wasn't he being overly familiar with her?
She glared at him with wide eyes, completely forgetting how to speak. She could only watch as He Changdi gulped down her breakfast. His movements were even faster than Tang Yan's. When she looked at how the two men eating, she was seriously questioning whether they were really nobles from the capital.
It was Wenqing who reacted first. "Third Young Madam, please wait. This servant will get another bowl for you."
Chu Lian pursed her lips and could only nod.
By the time Chu Lian's new bowl of porridge was served up, the spring rolls on the table had disappeared into thin air...
He Sanlang kept count inwardly. He had eaten one more spring roll than Tang Yan. With that result, his mood became much better. He set down his chopsticks and looked at Tang Yan.
Tang Yan had already sensed He Changdi's disdain towards him by now. Since he had already eaten the gourmet food he had come for, there was no other reason for him to stay. Thus, he bid them goodbye. "Third Young Master He, Honoured Lady, why don't you discuss it between yourselves first? Once you've decided, just send someone to inform this subordinate.